James Jeter

James Jeter was an American actor who worked in film, stage and television, born in Texas in 1921 and best known for the recurring part of the blacksmith Hans Dorfler on Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1980. He began on stage at the Alley Theatre and made his screen debut with an uncredited appearance in The Best Man in 1964. He played Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Farren in The Sand Pebbles (1966) and appeared in Cool Hand Luke in 1967, and he became a familiar guest face on many television programs, among them Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Waltons and The Rockford Files, plus a recurring role as Smitty on Delvecchio. His films included Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), Fast Break (1979) and The Border (1982). In 1985 he took the lead in All My Sons at the Geva Theatre Center, and his final credit was A Perfect World (1993).